1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic camera, and more particularly to the arrangement of components in an electronic camera, which converts a captured image into image data and records the image data in a recording medium, and the arrangement of control members.
The present invention also relates to a dial control device of electronic equipment, and more particularly to a dial control device that makes it possible to change multiple functions even in a small space.
2. Description of Related Art
An ordinary electronic camera comprises an imaging part, which includes a taking lens and an imaging device such as a charge-coupled device (CCD); a signal circuit part, which processes an image signal obtained by the imaging device; a recording part for recording image data: an image display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, which displays the captured image; a battery for supplying electric power; and a control part for changing image-recording modes and displays, etc. The size and operability of the entire electronic camera depends mainly on the layout of the components.
Recently, there has been an earnest desire to develop a compact electronic camera. Since the compact electronic camera is difficult to operate, it is important to develop an electronic camera that is small and easy to operate.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 9-230438 discloses providing a visual field frame changeover dial at substantially the center of the back face of the camera. According to this arrangement, the camera, which is held by one hand, is difficult to operate, and a positional relationship between the dial and the image display is not taken into consideration at all.
A push button or a rotary dial is used for the control part of much conventional electronic equipment such as electronic cameras. As the electronic equipment becomes smaller and increases the functions, it is an important factor to allot a space for arranging the control part and improve the operability. Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-31812 discloses a switch button structure wherein a rotary knob is arranged around an ON/OFF push button. This switch button structure, however, has only one function of switching ON/OFF an operating button provided inside the knob, and it is impossible to enter a variety of commands. Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 8-122842 discloses a control part structure wherein two control parts (a changeover dial and a changeover lever), which change image-recording modes of the camera, are arranged coaxially with one another so that they can be rotated separately. According to this control part structure, there must be a difference in height between the two rotary control members so that the inside rotary member and the outside rotary member can be rotated separately. In fact, the control knob of the changeover lever projects over the changeover dial. In this mode, the camera is difficult to operate with only one hand, and it is not satisfactory in view of the design due to the unevenness of the surface.
The present invention has been developed in view of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object the provision of the electronic camera that is easy to operate and compact.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the dial control device of the electronic equipment, which is easy to operate, inputs a variety of commands, and achieves the satisfactory appearance with little unevenness.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present invention is directed to an electronic camera comprising: an imaging part including a taking lens and an imaging device for capturing an image; an image display for displaying the image captured by the imaging part; a recording part for recording, in a card-shaped recording medium, image data representing the image captured by the imaging part; a battery for supplying electric power to the camera; and a casing for containing the imaging part, the image display, the recording part and the battery therein, the casing being substantially rectangular-parallelepipedic and provided with a grip part to be gripped on an external surface thereof; wherein, when the camera is seen from a back thereof, the imaging part is arranged at the upper left part of the casing; the grip part is arranged at the right part of the casing; the battery is arranged at the right part of the casing corresponding to an inside of the grip part such that a long axis of the battery is along the grip part and the right side of the casing; the image display is arranged along the back face of the casing and at the left of the battery so as not to overlap with the battery; and the recording part is arranged behind and parallel to the image display such that the card-shaped recording medium is inserted to and extracted from the left side of the casing along a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the taking lens.
According to the present invention, the electronic camera is compact since the imaging part, the image display, the recording part and the battery of the camera are arranged in the minimum space.
Seen from the cameraman holding the grip part, the image display is positioned at the lower left part of the back face of the camera. Hence, there is no possibility that the display screen is covered with the hand, and the display is easy to view. Moreover, the inlet for the card-shaped recording medium is provided at the opposite side of the grip part (the left side of the casing), and thus, the recording medium is inserted and extracted easily while the grip part is held by the hand.
According to the present invention, a finder is incorporated in an optical block including the taking lens and the imaging device of the imaging part. Since the image-capturing optical system and the finder optical system are incorporated into one block as a unit, the optical finder can be arranged close to the taking lens to reduce the parallax. Seen from the back of the camera, the imaging part is arranged at the upper left part of the camera, and the optical finder is necessarily arranged at the upper left part of the camera. The cameraman holding the grip part can easily look through the finder.
According to the present invention, an electronic flash is arranged above the battery. Seen from the front of the camera, the electronic flash is provided above the grip part, in other words, at the upper left part of the camera. A finger of the hand holding the grip part is positioned below the electronic flash, and this prevents the finger from obstructing the emission of light. Depending on how the camera is held, however, the finger may cover the electronic flash window. To avoid this, a projection is preferably formed at the electronic flash window at the front of the casing so that the projection can prevent the finger holding the grip part from covering the electronic flash window.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to an electronic camera comprising: an imaging part including a taking lens and an imaging device for capturing an image; an image display for displaying the image captured by the imaging part, the image display being arranged on a back face of a camera body; a grip part for being gripped, the grip part being arranged at a side of the camera body; a dial control device arranged on the back face of the camera body at such a position as to be operated by a thumb of a hand gripping the grip part, the dial control device being capable of rotating within a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the taking lens.
According to the present invention, the dial control device is arranged on the back face of the camera body at such a position as to be operated by the thumb of the hand holding the grip part formed at the side of the camera body. For this reason, it is easy to operate the dial control device using only one hand.
The dial control device is preferably arranged at the upper right part of the back face of the camera, and the image display is preferably arranged at the lower left of the dial control device. Such an arrangement reduces the possibilities that the display screen of the image display is covered with the right hand of the cameraman when the dial control device is operated by the thumb of the hand holding the grip part. In addition, it is easy to operate the dial control device correctly while looking at the display screen.
The dial control device is preferably provided with a function of giving instructions to switch or change the displays on the image display. Such a function makes it possible to switch/change the displays by using only one hand while looking at the display on the image display.
According to the preset invention, a control key for switching on and off the image display is provided at the back of the camera body at such a position as to be operated by the thumb of the hand holding the grip part. According to the present invention, the cameraman holding the grip part can easily switch on and off the display by moving the thumb.
In the electronic camera of the present invention, a thumb rest is preferably provided at the back of the camera body at a position that may be reached by the thumb of the hand holding the grip part. The thumb rests on the thumb rest when not operating the dial control device.
According to another mode of the thumb rest, a depressed part may be formed at the center of the dial control device so that the thumb can rest on the depressed part when not operating the dial control device. In this case, the depressed part may be formed in the center of a member forming the dial control device, or the depressed part may be formed in a member that is different from the rotary member and this member may be arranged at the center of the rotary member to serve as the thumb rest.
The dial control device is preferably shaped like a truncated cone, and a skidproof part for being operated by the thumb is provided on an oblique surface of the truncated cone. The use of this dial control device achieves the appearance with little unevenness on the back surface of the camera. Also, the portability is improved, and the electronic camera has a good design.
In a concrete example of the dial control device, it is preferable to use a dial control device that has a double structure provided with a ring-shaped dial member and a button control member which is arranged concentrically within the dial member and is capable of inclining in a plurality of directions corresponding to a plurality of functions. Such a structure achieves a multiple function changeover control part that is easy to operate even in a small space.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to a dial control device of electronic equipment comprising: a ring-shaped rotatable dial member; a dial position determining means for determining a plurality of rotational positions of the dial member; a button control member capable of inclining in multiple directions according to a pressed position thereof, the button control member being arranged at the center of the dial member; and a button direction determining means for determining at least two inclining directions of the button control members among a plurality of possible inclining directions.
According to the present invention, the ring-shaped dial member is arranged at the circumference of the push-type button control member, which is capable of inclining in a plurality of directions. For this reason, the inside button control member can give a variety of instructions according to the inclining directions, and the outside dial member can change and select a variety of commands according to the rotational positions. The control device with the double structure is easy to operate since the outside dial member is rotated and the inside button control member is pressed. This realizes a multiple function button/dial that is easy to operate even in a small space.
According to the present invention, the depressed part is preferably formed at the top of the button control member. This makes it easier to press the edge part of the top face of the button control member, and the depressed part can be used as the thumb rest.
According to the present invention, the dial control device is substantially truncated cone shaped, and the dial member is provided with a skidproof part on an oblique surface thereof. This form achieves a satisfactory appearance with little unevenness, and makes the thickness (height) of the button control member inconspicuous in view of the design. Since the skidproof part, on which the thumb is placed during the rotation, is provided at the dial member of the oblique surface of the truncated cone, the thin dial member can be rotated easily without slipping.
It is particularly advantageous if the dial control device according to the present invention is applied to an electronic camera which converts an image captured by an imaging means into an image signal and records image data representing the captured image in a recording medium. This makes the electronic camera smaller and easier to operate.
The dial control device with the double structure, which is composed of the button control member and the dial member, may also be provided at the back of the electronic camera body. Since the control device of the present invention is thin as mentioned previously, the outside surface of the electronic camera has little unevenness even if the dial control device is provided at the back of the camera. The control device is preferably arranged at such a position as to be operated by the thumb of the hand holding the grip part of the camera, so that the control device can easily be operated with only one hand.
If the dial control device of the present invention is used for the electronic camera, the button control member is used to give instructions to change the zooming magnifications and advance frames during the reproduction, and the dial member is used to select and change the image-recording modes.